


Weigh Me Down

by doppeldonger



Series: Serenity [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Other, TW: Blood, TW: suicidal thoughts, tw: abuse, tw: depression, tw: dissociation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 01:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10753722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doppeldonger/pseuds/doppeldonger
Summary: He's a bad virus that needs to be cleaned up from his systems, but it's not an easy task.Inspired by that scene in ep.5 where Rhys terminates jack.





	Weigh Me Down

**Author's Note:**

> The song that makes up Rhys's lines is Lorn's 'Weigh Me Down'

Reasonable arguments are out of the question at this particular point of his life, he has long given up on trying to put some sense into the other man. He's obstinate, deaf to opinions, and basically a condescending bastard. There aren't enough adjectives to describe how unbearable he is, to be quite honest.

Rhys is so done with the sorry excuse of a Handsome Jack knockoff he allowed to reside so shamelessly in his head.

Their minds have been connected up to some point, so the young man is quite sure the rotten little bundle of codes has felt his frustration and eventually, the utmost feeling of lethargy. He's not sure the man's capable of feeling the tiniest piece of empathy, though, so nothing really matters.

There's one thing that matters, however. He keeps repeating the words in his head, it's been a while since he started doing that; ever since he made the grave mistake of trusting Jack, to be exact (I mean, trusting the CEO who is notorious for his kill streak and narcissism over a bunch of Pandoran scum is the right thing to do, right?)

Right. Jack's started yammering about something again and Rhys is in no mood to put up with the man. He starts with the words that have become his mantra as of late, basically talking to himself, "You weigh me down..." He doesn't care if he's going mad, he gave up on telling himself he's a sane person long time ago.

As he sifts through the glorious wreckage that was once the mighty Helios, he ignores the glitching face appearing on the broken screens. He's talking about betrayal like he has any right to after betraying Rhys himself.

Rhys has no one to blame but himself about that, really. He knew what Jack was like from the very start, but was too blinded by his fascination with the man that he chose to ignore the thorns the AI so happily stuck in his side for the sake of worshipping him like a god.

"You weigh me down." he mutters, jumping over and ducking under the broken mess. And Jack. _Still. Talks._

Breaking things down to build them anew is a thing Jack's into now, apparently. Even though he doesn't reside in his head anymore, Rhys can feel Jack's booming, albeit stuttering voice in his body. Wasn't that his goal anyway? Take over Helios, take over Rhys's body, take over Hyperion, take over the universe. Right?

Right. "You weigh me..." Rhys is so damn tired, of running, of trying, of simply existing. He can feel depression tugging at the corners of his mind. "You weigh me down." Maybe he should just give up. He raises his head, eyeing Jack's colossal figure looking down at him.

He looks so pained, so vulnerable. He looks so sympathetic, so interested in Rhys.

He looks like the god damn liar he is, and he _. Still. Tries._

Unbelievable as the whole situation that's been dominating his life is, haggardness is what guides Rhys and not Jack's spiel. "Give me a drug and I'll take it." he speaks up, his emotionless voice cracking. Jack actually shuts up for a moment to regard Rhys with a surprised expression. He makes a comment about not wanting to hurt Rhys _, so what the hell are you talking about, cupcake?_

The grim smile darkening the host's face is the only reply the persistent virus gets. He returns to his monologue, not fazed by the sudden mood change.

Rhys is simply feeling suicidal, looking for a way to stop existing; he has no goal in life anymore, nothing to be proud of. Hyperion is gone, so are the con artists and his friends; Jack continues to subsist and there's seemingly nothing Rhys can do about any of this. No hope, no thrill, no trust. "Watching you sharpen knives."

Then he hears it: a gentle whir from behind him. He turns around sluggishly to see the USB drive from before, the one connected to that dumb golden wheeled office chair, heading mercilessly for his head (Huh. Funny pun, Rhys knows).

He may want to give up with this shitty life, but welcoming Jack back into his mind is the last thing he needs-

But he's too slow. 

The thin long device lodged easily into his port, he thinks maybe he's being punished for his sins. He lets out a yelp that borders on a scream when he feels Jack being transferred into his head, forcing himself onto Rhys and abusing his host with his arrogant greed.

The man himself now stands before him like he did for so long, an evil smile gracing his sharp features. Rhys thinks "Handsome" Jack must be a name chosen sarcastically, because the sneer on this man's face, the way his brows furrow, the way he squints his eyes... He's just so damn ugly, inside and out.

Screw dying.

...oookay, maybe not. Jack making him strangle himself with his own arm has become an old trick he's very bored of at this point, but the AI seems like he actually plans to kill Rhys this time. Well, shit. He flails and fights as the corners of his vision start to get darker. He yearns for oxygen, wheezing pathetically for air- then he notices a piece of metal that went through the wall after the fall of the space station. Perfect opportunity, unlike Jack's shitty city.

He jams his arm onto the metal, almost gurgling in pain and lack of air in the process. He pushes and he pulls.

_You weigh me down._

The arm goes offline and Rhys can breathe again. Jack's back to his monologue.

"You give me hell but I'll make it." Rhys interrupts, forcing pressure on his arm to tear it off like one tears a piece of paper into two. If there wasn't so much blood, he'd give himself a mental pat on the back for being such a badass. Naturally, he simply ends up letting out an agonized whine.

He falls down and sits on his ass, watching Jack saunter close like a lion and loom over him menacingly. The AI threatens him, boasting that he'll never go away; he might rip off an arm ("Big deal, Rhysie!") but what is a metal arm to a god, to Hyperion himself? Jack does not receive the terrified reaction he was waiting for, as Rhys is too distracted by his ECHO eye malfunctioning at this point to understand the words spilling from the other's mouth.

_...his ECHO implements._

He looks at Jack, stupefied and mouth slightly agape. The AI opens his arms in a welcoming gesture, assuming Rhys has finally seen how much of a raw power he has. They smile simultaneously, but the reasons behind Jack's gloating grin and Rhys's sour smirk are completely different.

_You weigh me..._

His remaining hand gropes at the floor, coming back with a piece of glass secured snugly between his fingers. Jack does not notice, too busy with his ideals and dreams.

_You weigh me down._

He experimentally presses the glass to his port, and finally, _finally_ Jack notices what's going on. He looks scared, good. Rhys gives him a watery leer as he tears the ECHOport from his temple with the help of the glass shard. He screams, and Jack yells; his hand comes down on his lap, bloodied. His eyes have not left Jack's, not even for a moment. Now, though, he feels like he's watching his body move from afar, like he's not a part of it anymore. He wonders if he's dissociating or it's the pain and blood loss. Maybe it's Jack taking control, who knows? He certainly doesn't.

He stands up with great effort, he won't let this pathetic man look down on him while they scream at each other.

Why won't he go away anyway? God, Rhys is so done with Jack.

Right.

Still feeling the disconnection between his mind and his body, he moves the bloodied glass shard closer to his ECHOeye; both men watch each other with wide eyes and quickened breaths.

"I've still got one good eye..." The shard picks at the bright blue eye. Jack falls to his knees, his form flickering in the ECHOeye's malfunctioning vision. Rhys smiles sardonically as Jack begs. "Blind as a fool, I can fake it, telling the truth with lies." The eye is off the socket, held by an assembly of wires connecting his sight to his brain. It's gonna be painful as hell, he knows, but it'll be worth it. 

He pulls. Jack lunges at him. "It won't be long 'til I break it."

The pain is blinding.

Jack is gone.

He can hear the fires going off in various places, smell blood and feel the dust. The Pandoran night welcomes the remains of Helios along with Rhys in a dangerous embrace.

Silence engulfs the existence, gracing Rhys's trembling figure with a moment to take it all in; a terrified sigh escapes him in the next moment as feelings return to his body in full force.

_'Cause you know, you know..._

He's gone. For real. Forever. Despite the pain, Rhys can feel a dumb smile tugging at his lips.

_You weigh me down._

His body hits the ground, but he doesn't feel the impact. He tries to keep his head up, still smiling, the perfect mockery of the condescending Hyperion smile.

Darkness welcomes him, with no Jack this time.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Here I used Jack to represent my... well, basically my PTSD. So yeah.
> 
> My depression's been kicking my ass lately, so I reflected my own experience on Rhys a little.


End file.
